I activated my [WAYPOINT ANCHOR ORB] locked on Uzushio's mainland and initiated the transit. The world twisted and folded in on itself. A second later, the humid air of the Forest of Death was replaced by the salty, roaring ocean breeze of the Uzushio mainland.
It was around two in the morning, and the desolate, overgrown ruins of the ancient Uzumaki village were pitch black. However, thanks to my enhanced senses, my eyes adjusted instantly, piercing through the darkness as if the area were bathed in twilight.
I walked through the crumbled stone foundations of what used to be a thriving civilization.
It's pretty fitting that this place is gonna be the testing ground for my new base, I thought, stopping in the center of a massive, flattened courtyard that had once belonged to what appeared to be an administration building.
I opened my inventory and tapped the glowing miniature castle icon.
[DEPLOYING DOMAIN]
A massive spatial distortion rippled through the air above the ruins, accompanied by the deafening sound of grinding stone and warping iron.
The towering Gothic black-stone fortress of the Crimson Lord slowly phased into reality, settling over the ruins with a gentle, almost soundless thud. The System seemed to have adapted the stronghold for its new master—the eerie crimson banners that had once draped the walls were now a deep, pitch-black cloth embroidered with golden-yellow spiral insignias, matching my army's aura.
I pushed open the heavy iron gates and stepped into the main courtyard.
The moment my feet touched the cobblestone, a wave of energy washed over me.
[NOTICE: YOU HAVE ENTERED YOUR CLAIMED DOMAIN.]
[PASSIVE EFFECT ENGAGED: INSTANTANEOUS RECOVERY.]
My HP and CP were already sitting at 100%, but the effect was far deeper than just refilling bars. A calm, almost euphoric feeling flooded my body. My muscles felt incredibly light, and my mind became razor-sharp.
"Oh yea, that's what I'm talkin' about," I said, letting out a long exhale, feeling the lingering mental fatigue of managing over a hundred summons completely melt away.
I could use these [DOMAINS] like a healing space for instant recovery, I thought, rubbing my chin. Which will solve my biggest current hurdle with my Soldiers sapping my chakra quickly for being away from me for long distances.
I looked around the courtyard. Actively keeping my [SHADOW SOLDIERS] attached to people for long periods of time—especially when they travel vast distances—also causes a steady drain on my mental stamina. To ensure that my spies can follow the likes of Karin, Ajisai, the Taki ninja, and the other foreign shinobi back to their respective lands after the Exams are done, I was in need of a way to actively sustain the connection without burning myself out.
I clapped my hands together and grinned. With this [DOMAIN] constantly refreshing my mind and chakra, I could deploy spies across the entire elemental nations without feeling a single ounce of overexertion.
"COME FORTH," I commanded in a two-fingered gesture.
The courtyard floor rapidly darkened, and my [SHADOW ARMY] erupted from the ground. One hundred and thirty Soldiers materialized, quickly falling into two perfectly disciplined military formations and dropping to one knee before me.
I was currently sitting at 130 out of 168 deployable Soldiers. The remaining thirty-eight were either spread out observing targets across Konoha, or stationed all the way in the Land of Spring with Koyuki, connected to me through my [SHADOW SHARE] ability.
I walked down the ranks, admiring the new additions. I had extracted the shadows of several [SHIELD KNIGHTS] and [PHANTOM ARCHERS]—all sitting at Level 8—and they looked incredible. They were heavily armored and highly adaptable, providing a fantastic contrast to the feral combat style of my beast-type Soldiers.
Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to extract the Sentinels or the Mini-Bosses. When I had tried, the System had flat-out denied me and explained that they were merely magical obstacles conjured up by the Crimson Lord, while the knights, archers, priests, and executioners were the true dungeon denizens, so they were fine to extract.
It was disappointing, but that was easily offset by the heavy hitters kneeling at the forefront of my army.
Beru, Rango, and the newly inducted Elite Knight, Igris.
"Igris, Beru. Front and center," I ordered. "We're doing some live-fire testing."
Beru screeched in delight, his insectoid wings buzzing as he took the field. Igris simply stood up in complete, majestic silence, his heavy greatsword resting easily in his grip, the golden-yellow aura trailing from the crimson plume on his helmet.
"First, let's see what this is feeling like," I said, raising my hand.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: RULER'S HAND]
A faint, ambient yellow-black aura enveloped Beru. With a sharp pull of my wrist, I yanked the Ant King forcefully through the air toward me. Beru didn't resist, gracefully flipping mid-air, but I instantly shifted my focus to Igris.
I flicked my fingers upward, using the invisible force to yank the heavy knight off-balance mid-step. Igris stumbled, his greatsword scraping the cobblestone.
Oh, this is going to completely change my combat flow, I realized with a grin. I could use the force on myself by wrapping the telekinetic aura around my own body. I could artificially slingshot my momentum to close distances faster or change directions in mid-air.
I turned my attention to a massive, crumbled stone pillar lying outside the corner of the courtyard. I focused my intent, wrapping my invisible grip around the heavy solid rock, and heaved upward.
The pillar floated into the air, but my jaw instantly clenched. A deep, burning strain shot through my arm and chest muscles, as if I were physically bench-pressing the boulder myself.
Ah, I deduced, gently lowering the pillar back to the ground and rubbing my bicep. So that's why it costs no chakra; it literally functions like a muscle group.
"So that's why in any TV series with a character with telekinesis, they're constantly seen using it for mundane tasks like floating an apple or flipping pages," I muttered to myself. "They actually need to use it constantly to build the "muscle," even when they truly don't want to."
I shook out my arm. It seems that I'll need to boost my [STR] and [CON] even more while I'm at it, I mused. But that's for later. As for now, It's time to try something more practical.
"Igris," I called out, drawing my [IVORY SHORTSWORD]. "I want you to hit me with a fatal strike. Do not hold back."
Igris hesitated. The towering knight stood perfectly still, his blank visor staring at me, clearly unwilling to strike his liege.
"I'm serious. I need to test a skill, and this [DOMAIN] heals all damage anyway, so it'll be fine," I reassured. "Now hit me!"
Igris nodded slowly. He raised his greatsword with both hands, his yellow-black aura flaring dangerously. He dashed forward with that same terrifying speed from the boss room and brought the massive blade down at my head.
I watched the blade descend, waiting for the perfect micro-second.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: RIPOSTE]
I thrust my sword up to parry, but nothing happened.
SHLUCK.
The greatsword cleaved straight through my guard and buried itself deep into my shoulder and chest.
[WARNING: FATAL STRIKE INFLICTED]
[-55% HP]
"MY KING!" Beru shrieked in absolute terror, diving toward us like a missile.
What?! I thought, not believing that the ability actually failed.
Before I could even register the agonizing pain, the [DOMAIN] reacted.
[NOTICE: DOMAIN EFFECTS HAVE INITIATED. AUTOMATICALLY HEALING SUSTAINED DAMAGE.]
A warm, golden light completely enveloped me. The massive, fatal wound knit itself back together in a fraction of a second, the pain vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. My HP shot instantly back to 100%.
"I'm fine, Beru!" I coughed, waving the frantic ant away. I looked at the stunned Igris, who had instantly dropped his sword and fallen to both knees, his head bowed to the floor in silent, dramatic apology.
What the hell just happened? I thought, attempting to piece together the mechanic. Why did the skill not work? Was I late? Too early? I gotta see it again.
"Get up, Igris. Pick up your sword. We're going again."
Igris paused for a moment, before reluctantly retrieving his blade.
We tried a second time. This time, when I activated the skill, I moved early to test the ability's response time. It resulted in the invulnerability frame ending right before the blade hit me, resulting in another brutal [-50% HP] cleave that the [DOMAIN] instantly healed.
I have to parry the lethal strike precisely within that 0.5-second window, I mused, feeling out the healed wounded area. I can't be even a half-second too early or too late. It has to be right on the dot like a bullseye.
"Third time's the charm," I grunted, getting back into my stance. "Hit me!"
Igris brought the blade down. I hyper-focused, watching the exact trajectory of the steel, tracking the velocity, until I saw a literal glowing timing window projected on the incoming blade.
Now! I roared internally as the blade of my sword flared with a blinding golden light.
CLAAAAANG!
I caught the greatsword perfectly. A shockwave of golden energy exploded outward. The immense kinetic force of Igris's strike was completely nullified, and the Elite Knight was violently thrown backward, a stun-marker appearing over his head as his guard was shattered wide open.
My body practically moved on its own, my shortsword blurring forward in a devastating, guaranteed critical thrust that stopped a millimeter from Igris's chest plate.
"Got it," I grinned, dismissing the skill and lowering my blade.
It's a massive double-edged sword—no pun intended, I thought, as I looked at the blade. But it's making more and more sense as to why the reward for completing the move effectively guarantees a stun and a 200% critical hit—it completely rewards pure, technical skill.
I dusted off my clothes.
I definitely need more practice to get the timing down to muscle memory, I mused. And boosting my [DEX] stat even higher to enhance my perception around the timing window would probably benefit me greatly. When I get the hang of it, that skill's gonna be a nightmare for my future opposition.
"Alright," I said, to Beru and Igris. "That should be enough for now. I've learned a lot, thanks."
After the skill's stun wore off, Igris immediately dropped to one knee. In a display of slightly dramatic loyalty, the silent knight drew his greatsword and presented it across his palms, offering his weapon to me in reverence.
It was a stark contrast to Beru, who was currently hovering around me, screeching bloodthirsty praises about my combat prowess.
The rest of the Shadow Army in the courtyard started cheering, banging their weapons against their shields and getting entirely too rambunctious.
I just shook my head, a genuine laugh escaping my chest as I looked over my customized, overpowered sanctuary.
I dismissed my weapons and opened the [SYSTEM STORE], intending to stock up on some supplies. But as I scrolled through the endless tabs of weapons and armor, a thought occurred to me.
If [RIPOSTE] is explicitly categorized as a 'Sword-Only Skill,' does that mean other weapons have their own unique skill trees? I asked internally.
[CORRECT. EVERY WEAPON CLASS POSSESSES A UNIQUE SET OF SKILLS THAT THE PLAYER CAN UNLOCK THROUGH CONTINUOUS USAGE AND PROFICIENCY.]
[FOR EXAMPLE, THE PLAYER'S UNIQUE 'DAGGER THROW' ABILITY WAS UNLOCKED THROUGH HIGH PROFICIENCY AND USAGE WITH MULTIPLE DAGGER-CLASS WEAPONS.]
"Oh, seriously?" I muttered, leaning against the courtyard wall. "Show me my current proficiencies then."
[WEAPON PROFICIENCY TRACKER]:
Dagger Kills: 458 / 1,000 (Next Skill Unlock)
Shortsword Kills: 25 / 2,000 (Next 2 Skills Unlock)
So I need a thousand kills just with my daggers to get the next passive or active ability, I noted, actually a little surprised the number of kills was so low. But then again, I usually let my Soldiers, Ninjutsu, or my own bare hands deal the fatal blows, saving the weapons for 1-on-1 boss fights. With this in mind, I'll start using more weapons to deal fatal strikes now.
Looking at the thousands of weapons available in the store, and knowing thousands more were added nearly every week or after clearing [GATES], the possibilities for different combat builds were virtually endless.
Satisfied with the info, I spent about two hours chilling in the [DOMAIN], letting the ambient energy completely refresh my system while I bought an abundance of high-tier Strength, Chakra, and Health potions, as well as new sealing scrolls and bandages.
[TRANSACTION COMPLETE: -200,000 Ryo]
[RYO BALANCE: 55,679,375 → 55,479,375 RYO]
I closed the screen, stretching my arms. I had spent enough time testing my abilities and stocking up. It was time to get a move on and finish the last two Clan Trials.
But just as I locked onto the [WAYPOINT ANCHOR ORB] in the catacombs, a sharp, distinct ping echoed in the back of my mind.
It was coming from one of my [SHADOW SOLDIERS] tucked securely into Anko's shadow.
Hmm, I wonder what it could be? I thought, instantly closing my eyes and tapping into the [SHADOW LINK].
My vision shifted. I was looking out from the corner of a dimly lit, highly secure Anbu bunker deep beneath Konoha. Standing at attention in the center of the room were roughly thirty of the village's seasoned Jonin, including Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai.
Standing at the front of the room, flanked by two Anbu guards, was Hiruzen.
"The preliminary rounds have concluded, but the true threat has only just revealed itself," he spoke, his voice carrying a heavy, grave authority that commanded absolute silence. "Hayate Gekko was assigned to track a suspected spy within the Genin corps. That spy has been confirmed as Kabuto Yakushi, a sleeper agent."
A murmur rippled through the Jonin.
"We have gathered undeniable evidence," Hiruzen continued, taking a drag from his pipe. "The Sound Village is currently allying with the Sand Village to launch a joint, full-scale invasion of Konoha. And leading this coalition is none other than Orochimaru."
The tension in the bunker instantly spiked. The confirmation of a Sannin leading an invasion against their former home shifted the atmosphere from a standard briefing into a war council.
"The Chunin Exam Finals stadium is currently undergoing heavy, discreet modifications under the guise of preparing for the arriving dignitaries," Hiruzen explained. "We are establishing hidden evacuation lines for the civilian populace. When the invasion starts, protecting the civilians is your top priority."
Hiruzen paused, his eyes sweeping over his commanders. "However, the Sound and Sand are not our only concerns. You must remain vigilant in regards to the other foreign shinobi currently within our walls. It has been reported that the ninja from Iwa have been discreetly mapping out the village layout for structural weak points. Furthermore, the Kumo delegation has been caught actively observing our shinobi possessing Kekkei Genkai."
Man, there's a lot going on more than ever, huh? I thought, watching the atmosphere of the room grow tenser.
A random Jonin stepped forward. "Lord Hokage, if we know an invasion is imminent, then why not cancel the Exams immediately? Why not shut the gates and lock the village down?"
Kakashi shook his head, his single eye cold. "We can't. The Daimyo and dignitaries from across the continent are already en route. Canceling the Exams now, without public proof of the invasion, makes Konoha look weak and paranoid."
"Kakashi is correct," Shikaku Nara suddenly spoke up, stepping forward to take the floor. The Nara clan head looked as sharp and serious as I had ever seen him. "Furthermore, Orochimaru is entirely unpredictable. If we cancel the Exams and lock down, we tip our hand. There is no telling what he might do. He could trigger the invasion early before our hidden defenses are set, or worse, use the sudden cancellation as political leverage to convince Iwa and Kumo to openly join his coalition."
Shikaku pointed to a map of the village spread across the table. "Here's the strategy. We are going to organize defensive perimeters in and around the village, layering counter-ambush tactics. We are going to let the invasion proceed as planned. We need to draw Orochimaru out into the open and spring the trap on him and his allying forces in one fell swoop. We will demonstrate to Iwa, Kumo, and the rest of the world that Konoha will not fall, no matter what obstacles we face."
I severed the connection, my eyes snapping open as I returned to the pitch-black courtyard of my Castle.
Yea it was always going to go down like this, I thought, a vicious grin pulling at my face. Letting them walk right into a trap to prove a point to the other villages is quite bold. And I do not hate it in the slightest.
With the adults having the main stadium and Orochimaru covered, that left everything else to me. While they held down the front lines, I'd personally deal with Orochimaru's sleeper agents hiding in civilian spaces, stop the Kumo ninja from kidnapping Hinata, and slaughter any Iwa ninja attempting to piggyback off the chaos before they could inform their leaders in Iwa about it.
I was more than capable enough of doing it, but I needed to be even stronger for the unpredictability of the invasion.
With a single thought, the massive Gothic Castle around me began to shudder, dissolving into golden light and returning to my inventory as a small, glowing icon.
I was left standing in the overgrown ruins of Uzushio.
I pulled up my [S-RANK KEY QUOTA]. Need just two more, I mused, before activating a jutsu.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU]
Three perfect copies of myself popped into existence.
I opened my [INVENTORY] and tossed two glowing Keys to the clones.
"Two System-recommended [B-RANK GATES]," I said. "Take the Soldiers, kill the two bosses, clear the dungeons, and secure the [S-RANK KEY] while I handle the rest of the trials."
"You got it, boss," the lead clone smirked, catching the keys.
I watched as the clone channeled his chakra into the first key. A [GATE] descended from the sky and the clones, followed immediately by Igris, Beru, and the rest of the summoned [SHADOW ARMY], marched seamlessly into the Dungeon to grind out my quota.
With that handled, I locked onto the coordinates I had left deep underground and instantly transported back to the dusty, ancient atmosphere of the Uzumaki archive room.
I stopped in front of the pedestal where the glowing scroll rested atop it, and reached out.
[CLAN TRIAL 4: CHAKRA SUPPRESSION]
[COMMENCING IN 3... 2... 1...]
Here we go again, I thought, as the room began to shift.